Chapter 359: Monsters and Demons – The Daily Life of the Sickly Aunt in the Courtyard

**Chapter 359: Supernatural Shenanigans – The Daily Shenanigans of the Delicate Young Lady in the Courtyard**

Before heading out, Lin Qing wrapped a silk scarf around her face, covering most of it.

"Brother Nan, how's this look?" Lin Qing showed it to Cen Xi.

Cen Xi squeezed her hand. Though it bothered him, he understood why she had to do this—train kidnappers were everywhere, and they needed to be careful.

He adjusted her hair slightly. "Looks good. Let’s move."

"Mm-hmm."

Cen Xi walked in front, Lin Qing in the middle, and Comrade Wang followed behind them.

With a point man and a rear guard, Lin Qing had it easy.

The bathroom was close—just a few carriages away.

None of Lin Qing’s fears came true, and she exhaled loudly in relief after coming out.

She waited outside for a while, not daring to look around. Soon enough, Cen Xi came out.

Little did Lin Qing know, their walk had turned heads. Never mind their poise—both wore long, thin coats, which immediately stood out.

They *screamed* money. Their original plan had been to dress down, to blend in with the crowd, but that proved difficult. Choosing sleeper berths already set them apart.

Faking poverty wouldn’t have cut it. Rich folks got left alone.

"Let’s go."

"Okay!" Lin Qing nodded.

As she did, her side profile briefly dazzled onlookers—and caught the attention of certain people.

A sweet-faced woman watched her, eyes lit up.

When Lin Qing and Cen Xi passed by their carriage again on the way back, the woman stared intently, her eyes flickering with calculation.

She kept watching until they disappeared into their compartment, then her face fell.

"Auntie, what’s wrong?"

"I just saw a beautiful flower."

The person beside her brightened—it was their code phrase.

"Isn’t seeing a beautiful flower a good thing?"

"There was too much foliage in the way." Too many people surrounded them—it wouldn’t be easy to make a move.

The man beside her also looked disappointed.

"No way, ma’am," said the girl beside her. "Did you see it out the window just now? I didn’t see any flowers."

The kindly woman smiled. "I spotted it earlier, but I didn’t get a clear look. There was too much foliage blocking the view."

"Oh, I see!"

"By the way, ma’am, where ya headed?"

"Mountain City."

"Mountain City? Isn't that the stop right before the final station?"

"Exactly. What about you? Where are you headed?"

"I'm going to the terminal—Lancheng."

"Oh! Then we're pretty lucky to meet. We'll be on this train together for two days."

"Yeah."

The two hit it off better and better, while the man sitting beside them had already stopped talking.

Somewhere else on the train.

"You sure he's on this train?"

"I'm certain. He's in the soft sleeper compartment up ahead."

"Can we find a way to get in?"

The man shook his head. "No, it's filled with his people."

"What if we make an excuse to stop by and rest for a bit?"

"Their vigilance is way too high. It probably won't work."

"What good are you people then?"

The leader was furious just thinking about their previous mission failure—he'd already been reprimanded by his superiors. This mission can't fail—no excuses, or else he'd be in deep trouble when he got back...

"Find me a way in, now!"

"Yes!"

...

After resolving the most urgent issue, Lin Qing and Cen Xi finally relaxed.

"Tired? Want to sleep now?"

Lin Qing shook her head. "Not really. Just ate—I'll wait a bit."

"Alright!"

They chatted for a while longer, then picked up their books again.

Checking the time, Cen Xi started making up the top bunk.

"Cen Gong, you should rest in the upper bunk too," Comrade Li said.

Cen Xi nodded, knowing it was a security measure, so he didn't object.

After fixing up Lin Qing's bunk, he climbed down and set up his own bed on the opposite side.

"Qingqing, turn in early."

"Okay!" Lin Qing compliantly climbed into the upper bunk.

Lin Qing and Cen Xi must have been exhausted from the trip—they dozed off almost immediately after lying down.

Wang and Li took turns resting, one taking the first watch and the other covering the second half of the night.

The next day on the train was just as boring.

Cen Xi and Lin Qing couldn’t relax like they could at home, so they mostly read.

Suddenly, Wang said seriously to Cen Xi, “Cen Gong, I just noticed something suspicious.”

Lin Qing and Cen Xi exchanged glances—were the train’s troublemakers finally showing themselves?

“What is it?” Cen Xi asked, keeping calm.

“A man has already walked past our compartment three times.”

Cen Xi frowned slightly. “If he needed something from this area, passing by three times wouldn’t be unusual.”

Wang shook his head. “Dinner time’s long over, and we’re not near the restroom—it’s further up front. No one should be walking by here over and over.”

Hearing this, Cen Xi and Lin Qing went on alert. They thought about it and saw he was right.

The dining compartment was on the other side of their carriage, but mealtime had passed. The restroom was also on the opposite end of their car. From front to back: dining car, soft sleeper compartments, hard sleeper compartments, two soft-seat cars, then the restroom, followed by more hard-seat cars.

These security guys were sharp—just based on someone walking by their compartment three times at an odd hour, they figured something was wrong. Impressive!

Lin Qing gave him a dead-serious look.

“Cen Gong, we still don’t know their intentions, but we’d better be careful.”

“Right.”

The train was packed with all kinds of people, chaos everywhere. But what exactly were these individuals after?

—

“So? Was I right?”

“Yeah. I passed by their compartment a few times and peeked in. The girl’s pretty enough, no doubt—but the people with her look tough.”

“So we’re giving up?” The kindly woman wasn’t ready to let go—she’d never seen anyone so striking before. If they acted, they could bring in big money.

She saw the same reluctance in her partner’s eyes. “Should we give it a try?”

They’d worked together for years and knew each other well.

“Try?” They exchanged glances, knowing they were both thinking the same thing.